The present invention relates to a showerhead holder for use preferably with a commercially available removable showerhead unit, such as model Nature Mist, from LDR Industries, Inc., Chicago, Ill.
A showerhead is a common fixture for directing the spray of water usually within a shower enclosure having one or more walls to form an enclosure. The enclosure usually has at least one entrance e.g. door. One of the more popular add on showerheads are those that are attached using a hose to a holder at the location of the original showerhead that may be removed at the desire of the user. There are several well-known hand-held showerheads that are commercially available. The heads typically come in a kit comprising a connector, a hose, and the showerhead connected to a handle. Oftentimes, a user will desire, when removing the removable showerhead, to affix it to a different location on a wall within a shower enclosure. In this manner, for example, the spray is directed to a body part or portion of the user's body, while having both of the user's hands free.
In addition, the showerhead handle often rests in a cradle that is part of the connector at a height of greater than 5-6 feet, often the height is greater than 6 feet. This is because although there is no specific rule, most plumbers install the outlet pipe in a shower 75-78 inches above the floor as a matter of course. This height presents difficulty for children, the elderly, and those that are either not tall enough to reach the handle, or have difficulty unseating the handle from it's cradle. Often, people who have difficulties with the height of the cradle will allow the handle to hang loose. This is often not desirable for many reasons. One reason is if there is any tendency for the showerhead to leak, the hanging position will increase any leaks. Additionally, many will not consider a showerhead handle hanging off the wall to be aesthetically pleasing. One possible solution is to have a cradle that may hold the showerhead handle in a lower position. The problem with an after market cradle is that showerhead handles are not standardized and it would be difficult to provide different cradle sizes and shapes for all of the different brands and sizes. The present invention has addressed this difficulty. The present invention provides for the securing of the removable showerhead utilizing the connector and cradle provided by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM).
The present invention relates to a showerhead holder, a system, and a kit that is used to hold a removable showerhead at different locations in a shower or bathtub.
Removable showerheads have an attachment fitting that connects to a supply pipe with a threaded male end, that issues from the wall of the shower. The fitting has a female threaded connection that is screwed onto the supply pipe. The fitting includes a supply line that tees off of the fitting. The supply line connects to a hose that supplies water to the showerhead. Typically the removable showerhead has an elongated handle, which is used for a person to hold in ones hand. The attachment fitting has an adjustable C-shaped retainer or cradle that holds the showerhead by the handle when a person does not want to hold the showerhead (during lathering, shampooing, etc.).
The disadvantages of the showerhead retainer as described above are that the shower stream can only be directed to the parts of the body where the supply pipe issues from the wall, i.e. if the supply pipe is overhead, the stream is only directed to the upper parts of the body such as the head, neck and shoulders. Furthermore, when disposed opposite the shower entrance, the water stream can deflect out of the shower while waiting for the temperature of the water to reach the desired temperature.